Are "remote control" applications feasible?

[kbanks]

(originally received via email, reposted on customers behalf)

Please verify if RFE pair can be used in remote control application, for real time winch control functions.
The transmitter going to be in the hands of a guy on the boat. Receiver is on the same boat, but driving hydraulic winch functions.

This requires to detect pressed or held button and activate appropriate I/O on the receiver. All functions are instantaneous, means released button – stop on the winch drive.

[kbanks]

This is doable (if you had been at our recent sales training back in March you would have seen us using a handheld remote node to remotely control a small electric car).

Some things to keep in mind:

1) You should write your scripts so that the application fails in a safe manner. For example, when turning on the winch, you should use some sort of timeout so that if the "winch node" does not hear from the "remote node" for some period of time, the motor will be stopped. (The person on the boat might drop the remote into the water!)

2) For the same reasons, I would implement some local controls at the "winch node". For example, at the very least you should have some sort of "emergency stop" button.

3) Keep in mind that there will always be a small delay between a button being pressed on one node, and the action occuring on the other node.

4) Since the remote node will be battery powered, you will probably want to use a combination of the "sleep" features and the "wakeup on button press" features.